Thanks for contributing again Kathleen. I appreciate all your articles and always learn something and this one is no exception. My wife and I are on 4 CCRC wait lists in our area to keep our options open and those lists keep growing. We joined those wait lists 2 years ago when we were 68 and 65 and based on the independent living accommodation we selected our wait time could be 7-12 years. We haven't made a final decision to commit to a CCRC but joining the waitlists keeps our options open. We started our research with a wonderful OLLI course in our area called Stay Put or Move On which is split between Age in Place lectures and CCRC info and visits which highlighted several of your questions and the info in your booklet. I totally agree planning can preserve choices. We are trying to preserve ours as our parents' and grandparents' choices narrowed to difficult ones with challenging family interventions and support in some cases and loneliness at the end of life in others.
As Ive commented here several times, we have owned 10-year TIPs as part of a liability matching strategy in retirement since 2017. We essentially have a hybrid collapsing/going ladder where we buy one TIPs per year and let one mature. The individual TIPs is matched against the projected gap between guaranteed income and all expenses (not just fixed). The individual TIPs are purchased depending on what is doing better at the time, stock or bond funds and factored into rebalancing. Our 40% bond allocation is split about 50/50 between individual TIPs and bond ETFs. Individual TIPs perform a bit differently than a TIPs fund (for example 2022) and holding them to maturity retains the purchasing power. They are not perfect as they have "phantom" income" if held in an after-tax account, which simply means one pays tax as you go prior to maturity. We essentially use them as part of an income floor as individualized alternative to an inflation adjusted annuity. Its not difficult to buy one TIPs per year, whether a new one or one in the after-market. TIPswatch.com is a very good website for learning about TIPs if interested.
I retired from MegaCorp April 2018. Admittedly, I took a "We (my wife and I) will figure it out" approach to retirement we only had a rough plan to increase travel and a specific long-term plan to visit all the National Parks and spend more time with distant family. We took a trip to a National Park (Yellowstone BTW) in May 2018. It was great. But by July I realized I wasnt quite ready to hang up my cleats. So I hung a shingle on LinkedIn to do some consulting which I did for the last 8 years part time. For the most part its been great, allowing us to travel to some great places after and between work trips, see family and afford a few splurges. I say "for the most part" because there were a few times when it got busier than I wanted to be. As far as specifically how it happened, when I hung the shingle on LinkedIn, I got contacted by a former colleague for some work and that work led to another big project with another firm. I did get most of my work from former colleagues and referrals. The work has been mostly the type of work I enjoyed when I was employed and not the type of work I didnt enjoy. I turned down quite a bit of work and was fairly selective about it as I was in a position where I did not necessarily financially "need" the work. I just turned 70 in June and this year I have only done one small piece of remote work and I am ready now to full retire. Overall, a great experience.
There are advice only advisors which are mentioned elsewhere in this thread who provide planning and advice and you execute the plan and trades. You can find them at adviceonlynetwork/com. There are flat fee advisors who typically are small botique outfits and focus on planning and passive investment management aligned to your needs and plan. They frequently do detailed cash flow and tax planning amongst other services. We have had a flat fee advisor for 9 years and feel it is well worth it for risk management, peace of mind, addressing blind spots, minimizing mistakes and planning to meet goals.
Ive answered before also (many times).......I care about it because 1-it protects against longevity risk, 2-it maximizes the SS income after the delay, 3, it produces more without full taxation (for us that's 85%), 4-it provides room for Roth conversions during the delay, 5. it provides a higher benefit to my wife after I pass. Amongst other points..
As a long-time client of a flat fee retirement financial planner, investment management is far down the list of reasons why we use his services. Many flat fee advisors use a simple passive investment approach that many DIYers use that is aligned with the client's goals and the financial plan developed from them. Well above investment in prioritization for us is developing a clear written financial plan based on goals and, in no particular order, tax planning and optimization, estate planning, cash flow analysis, health and long-term care and risk management, amongst many others. A thought leader in the flat fee planning world, Andy Panko, who has a financialplanningeducation website and FB group, wrote an article about the "value" of a planner a few years ago which basically concludes much of the value cannot be measured quantitatively. How Much Are Your Services Worth?, Financial Planning Articles for Financial Advisors & Wealth Managers
The stock market is not nearing bear territory by generalized definition. It is nearing, or at Correction, which is down 10%. The generalized recognized threshold for a Bear market is down 20%. Corrections are far more common than Bears. I'm not concerned in a correction, and we are prepared for a 10-year Bear.
I think it is a positive change. I understand why they were there originally but they came to be increasingly abused from the original intent causing unnecessary distraction and drift from the positive direction of the community.
Comments
Ive followed Ken Steiner's blog for several years-howmuchcaniaffordtospend inretirement as I have appreciated his actuarially-based articles combined with practical solutions and thought leader approach, Here is a link to the companion piece to the Advisor Perspective's article in which he proposes a progressive cap on SS COLAs. How Much Can I Afford to Spend in Retirement?: A Progressive COLA‑Cap Approach for Strengthening Social Security’s Finances
Post: Short term and long term Social Security planning
Link to comment from August 8, 2026
Thanks for contributing again Kathleen. I appreciate all your articles and always learn something and this one is no exception. My wife and I are on 4 CCRC wait lists in our area to keep our options open and those lists keep growing. We joined those wait lists 2 years ago when we were 68 and 65 and based on the independent living accommodation we selected our wait time could be 7-12 years. We haven't made a final decision to commit to a CCRC but joining the waitlists keeps our options open. We started our research with a wonderful OLLI course in our area called Stay Put or Move On which is split between Age in Place lectures and CCRC info and visits which highlighted several of your questions and the info in your booklet. I totally agree planning can preserve choices. We are trying to preserve ours as our parents' and grandparents' choices narrowed to difficult ones with challenging family interventions and support in some cases and loneliness at the end of life in others.
Post: Before Someone Else Decides
Link to comment from August 8, 2026
As Ive commented here several times, we have owned 10-year TIPs as part of a liability matching strategy in retirement since 2017. We essentially have a hybrid collapsing/going ladder where we buy one TIPs per year and let one mature. The individual TIPs is matched against the projected gap between guaranteed income and all expenses (not just fixed). The individual TIPs are purchased depending on what is doing better at the time, stock or bond funds and factored into rebalancing. Our 40% bond allocation is split about 50/50 between individual TIPs and bond ETFs. Individual TIPs perform a bit differently than a TIPs fund (for example 2022) and holding them to maturity retains the purchasing power. They are not perfect as they have "phantom" income" if held in an after-tax account, which simply means one pays tax as you go prior to maturity. We essentially use them as part of an income floor as individualized alternative to an inflation adjusted annuity. Its not difficult to buy one TIPs per year, whether a new one or one in the after-market. TIPswatch.com is a very good website for learning about TIPs if interested.
Post: Taking a Loss?
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
I retired from MegaCorp April 2018. Admittedly, I took a "We (my wife and I) will figure it out" approach to retirement we only had a rough plan to increase travel and a specific long-term plan to visit all the National Parks and spend more time with distant family. We took a trip to a National Park (Yellowstone BTW) in May 2018. It was great. But by July I realized I wasnt quite ready to hang up my cleats. So I hung a shingle on LinkedIn to do some consulting which I did for the last 8 years part time. For the most part its been great, allowing us to travel to some great places after and between work trips, see family and afford a few splurges. I say "for the most part" because there were a few times when it got busier than I wanted to be. As far as specifically how it happened, when I hung the shingle on LinkedIn, I got contacted by a former colleague for some work and that work led to another big project with another firm. I did get most of my work from former colleagues and referrals. The work has been mostly the type of work I enjoyed when I was employed and not the type of work I didnt enjoy. I turned down quite a bit of work and was fairly selective about it as I was in a position where I did not necessarily financially "need" the work. I just turned 70 in June and this year I have only done one small piece of remote work and I am ready now to full retire. Overall, a great experience.
Post: How Did You Find Paid Work After Retiring from Your Primary Career?
Link to comment from August 1, 2026
Income limits and lack of Roth 401ks at many employers.
Post: Something to Think About
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
There are advice only advisors which are mentioned elsewhere in this thread who provide planning and advice and you execute the plan and trades. You can find them at adviceonlynetwork/com. There are flat fee advisors who typically are small botique outfits and focus on planning and passive investment management aligned to your needs and plan. They frequently do detailed cash flow and tax planning amongst other services. We have had a flat fee advisor for 9 years and feel it is well worth it for risk management, peace of mind, addressing blind spots, minimizing mistakes and planning to meet goals.
Post: Financial Planning
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
Ive answered before also (many times).......I care about it because 1-it protects against longevity risk, 2-it maximizes the SS income after the delay, 3, it produces more without full taxation (for us that's 85%), 4-it provides room for Roth conversions during the delay, 5. it provides a higher benefit to my wife after I pass. Amongst other points..
Post: Rethinking the “Right” Time for Social Security
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
As a long-time client of a flat fee retirement financial planner, investment management is far down the list of reasons why we use his services. Many flat fee advisors use a simple passive investment approach that many DIYers use that is aligned with the client's goals and the financial plan developed from them. Well above investment in prioritization for us is developing a clear written financial plan based on goals and, in no particular order, tax planning and optimization, estate planning, cash flow analysis, health and long-term care and risk management, amongst many others. A thought leader in the flat fee planning world, Andy Panko, who has a financialplanningeducation website and FB group, wrote an article about the "value" of a planner a few years ago which basically concludes much of the value cannot be measured quantitatively. How Much Are Your Services Worth?, Financial Planning Articles for Financial Advisors & Wealth Managers
Post: One Good Call?
Link to comment from April 18, 2026
The stock market is not nearing bear territory by generalized definition. It is nearing, or at Correction, which is down 10%. The generalized recognized threshold for a Bear market is down 20%. Corrections are far more common than Bears. I'm not concerned in a correction, and we are prepared for a 10-year Bear.
Post: Any concern?
Link to comment from March 28, 2026
I think it is a positive change. I understand why they were there originally but they came to be increasingly abused from the original intent causing unnecessary distraction and drift from the positive direction of the community.
Post: Let the Arrows Speak for Themselves
Link to comment from March 28, 2026